October 2013

Dear friends,
In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Breishit, we read that God creates humanity in God’s image, b’tzelem
Elohim.
In a famous debate in the Talmud, the rabbis ask, “What is the most basic principle of the Torah?” What is the
core teaching from the Torah on which the rest of Judaism is founded?
Rabbi Akiva’s famous answer – similar to Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels is – “’Love your neighbor as yourself’
(from Leviticus 19:18) – that is the most basic principle.” But Ben Azzai disagrees, and offers core principles
from this week’s Torah portion. Ben Azzai says, “I have a greater principle than yours. ‘On the day that God
made human beings, they were made in the image of God; male and female God created them.’ (Genesis
1:27)”
Ben Azzai tells us that everyone is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, which means that everyone
is holy. Everyone has value. And so we must care for everyone. Akiva tells us to love our neighbors. Ben Azzai
demands, through b’tzelem Elohim, we must care for everyone, not just our neighbors – not just the people
who look or talk or believe like we do. He teaches that our kindness must not depend on our own self-love, but
on our understanding that humans are holy, because they are in the image of God. Ben Azzai recognizes that
we have a responsibility to all people, because they still have inherent value as beings in the image of God.
This text has real implications in our world today, particularly as the recent recession has forced so many
people into low-wage jobs. B’tzelem elohim demands that we treat every person, and every worker, with
dignity. If a person is willing to work hard for 40 or even 80 hours a week, our tradition demands that that
person deserves to paid wages that allow her to pay for her basic needs, like food, rent, and heating. That is
simply not possible on $8/hour. Further, when big companies pay minimum wage, we, the taxpayers, wind up
paying the difference in healthcare and other services – to the tune of $9 billion/year.
To confront this problem, I am working with Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of over 100 congregations
and 50 community organizations, to put the question of raising the minimum wage on the ballot in 2014. This
requires the Herculean task of collecting 100,000 signatures from MA registered voters.
I know there are good people who do not support raising the minimum wage. There are many ways to confront
poverty and people approach this issue from many different perspectives. If you feel this way, please know
that I respect you and your opinion, and would be glad to talk with you further. Yet, I believe this is an issue
where Jewish tradition is clear in its support of a living wage, as a way of honoring the image of God in each of
us.
Wherever you stand on the issue of minimum wage, as we read of the creation of humanity in the divine image
this week, please think how you can treat those you encounter as ’tzelmei Elohim, reflections of God. And, if
you share my view that tzelem Elohim demands that we raise the minimum wage and want to help put this
measure on the ballot, please email me at rabbi@shaareishalom.org, and I will help you get involved in this fun
and exciting campaign. Teens welcome!
Blessings,
Rabbi Margie